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In 2009 the state of Florida confirmed that native transmission of dengue fever was occurring—something that had not happened for decades. An astute clinician in New York made the diagnosis in a patient who had just returned from Key West. In the years prior to that outbreak, local transmission of dengue fever had occurred in both Texas and Hawaii.

That such a scenario occurred in 21^st-century America, where other mosquito scourges such as yellow fever and malaria are historical curiosities, reinforces the fact that so long as mosquitoes capable of spreading disease inhabit a country, that country will harbor some risk of an outbreak of a mosquito-borne disease occurring.

Not only do dengue outbreaks have the potential to cause significant morbidity in the populace, but the identification of the presence of dengue in a region can also have a negative impact on the local economy in decreased tourism and added expenses for augmented vector control activities.